Shonioya! Sleep Together Project — Lazing Around with Aiha (CV: Sakura Tange)

This work lets you spend a sweet, tender time together with 'Aoyatsu Aiba,' the girl from 'Let's Just Laze Around Together, Just the Two of Us, Aiba,' voiced by Sakura Tange. Prologue! An ordinary day... 'Aiba' comes over to the protagonist's house. She's his younger childhood friend who works as an idol. It seems she had no lessons today, so she came to visit. The protagonist has just landed a job and is planning to move out of his parents' house, so she'd been thinking she'd only be able to see him around the New Year holidays — but she looks relieved to find out his new place isn't far away. 'Aiba'... "I was starting to think maybe we just can't be apart♪" she says with a smile, half-joking. Then, noticing how tired the protagonist looks, she offers to comfort and heal him. What happens from here is something to enjoy after purchasing ♪ And so begins their sweet, tender days together with 'Aiba'... Point! 《Pick Up》 ☆Introduction☆ 'Aiba': A 17-year-old high school girl. Childhood friend of the protagonist. Gives off a mischievous, spoiled-and-clingy impression. Stage: The protagonist's home, his bedroom. Sound: Listen for the sound of doors opening and closing, footsteps on the floor, writing sounds, camera shutter sounds, the rustle of clothing, and more. A key phrase to keep in mind for this work is "Service the way my lesson trainer taught me♪" ☆Situation☆ Just the two of you. You can fully experience all kinds of healing moments — stretching, whispers, shoulder rubs, lap pillows, ear cleaning, blowing softly in your ear, ear massages, sleeping side by side, listening to her breathing, and more. ☆Event☆ Being serviced while cuddled up close to her left me feeling both nervous and soothed at the same time! The ear massage part was exquisite — it really felt like it was thoroughly kneaded and relaxed. She has a mischievous side, but also a spoiled, clingy side that's just as adorable — enough to make you want to keep her all to yourself! There were moments I found myself seeing her not as an idol, but simply as one girl. There's more to discover too... please go find it for yourself ♪

As you all know, otaku of our generation simply cannot resist Tange-san's charm, so the moment I learned of this release, buying it was already decided. This work piles on the fantasy settings so thick — a younger childhood friend, currently an active idol, who still adores you and slips into your house at every opportunity — that she feels almost like a mythical creature, on par with mermaids or the Loch Ness Monster. A veritable Mori Ogai novel of overloaded tropes. If anything, she might be even more unrealistic a presence than an alien, a time traveler, someone from another world, or an esper. And yet, she comes across with such warm, familiar closeness — I suspect that's entirely thanks to acting that doesn't miss a beat. For instance, the moment she unlocks the door and calls out from the entryway, her voice sounds a bit distant, giving a real sense of presence as a cute, cheerful intruder approaching. Or take the way she suggests resting her head on your lap herself, only to then grow flustered and embarrassed at the sudden closeness — the bashfulness of an innocent girl. And yet, there's also a maternal warmth in how skillfully she lets you be spoiled, to the point I almost mistook her for a woman who could become like a mother to me. On top of all that, there's the cleverness of the scenario too. What struck me as particularly well done was her use of the second person, "socchi" ("you over there"). It's not as embarrassing as "anata," nor as blunt as "omae" or "kimi" — it perfectly symbolizes that particular familiarity unique to childhood friends.

In the cover illustration, Aiba-chan is dressed in what's known as "jirai-kei" (landmine-style) fashion. Her chest, pushed up by the tight outfit... asserting its softness as she lies down with it resting on her elbow... She gazes gently at the listener while holding out an earphone... and on top of all that, she's voiced by none other than Sakura Tange herself... There was simply no way I wasn't going to buy this, so I did. The scenario, with its sense of physical and emotional closeness between the listener and Aiba, was great too~. Aiba-chan's mischievous laugh in Track 2 deserves the Nobel Prize for Cuteness, hands down. Also, listening to her sleep-talking in Track 4 gave me this feeling like my soul was being purified — is this even okay? Is there something mixed into this voice? Like some kind of "Tange-Sakura-tonin" or something? By the way, just going by her looks, Aiba-chan does have a bit of a "mesugaki" vibe with her poses and "=ω=" mouth expression, but she's not your typical template mesugaki — she's genuinely a really good girl. Now, the heroine of this work, the 17-year-old idol Asagiya Aiba-chan, is voiced by Sakura Tange, someone who could rightfully be called a legendary voice actress. I feel a bit rude saying this, but Tange-san was born in 1973, making her only slightly younger than my own mother. Realizing that a voice this cute and girlish is coming from someone around my mother's age genuinely makes me think — voice actresses truly are amazing! Of course, I'm sure she puts in real effort to maintain her voice, but generally speaking, people around my mother's age do sound age-appropriate. Aiba-chan, on the other hand, doesn't feel like she carries any of that age at all. If you played this for someone who doesn't know much about voice actors, I doubt they'd even come close to guessing the actual age of the person behind the voice. Dengeki G's Magazine, please keep releasing more voice works featuring veteran voice actresses like this from now on!